Process for producing the alloy of titanium with zinc.



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j 1 .aousr'n J. nossr, or menu ems, 'Yonx, assrcmon. 'ro min TITANIUM,

- MAINE.

AIJEIOY MANUFACTURING CONT-ANY, OF NEW raocnss r012. r'nonucme r111: arnoror rrramum wrm zmc.

v Specification. Letters Patent.

1 w Pa/tented'Mar. 5, 19124 No Drawing. Original application flled May 6, 1910, Serial No. 559,657, Divided and this application filed To all whom it may concern:

' of Niagara Falls, in the county of Niagara and State of New York, have invented certain newand useful Improvements in Proof esses for Producing the Alloy of Tltamum with Zinc, of which the following is a specification.

My present application 1s a dIVlSlOIl of my'epending app ication for Letters Patent, Serial No. 559,657 filed May 6, 1910, allowed Dec. 23, 1910, and my. present invention relates to a novel method for producing the alloy of titanium with zinc, and has for its object the prevention,more efliciently and economically than heretofore of oxidation, volatilization, or other undesired alterations, of the zinc so alloyed-or combined, and also of the said titanium, during the production of said alloy. In producing the said alloy, more or less ditliculty has been encountered, due to such oxidation, volatilization, etc., resulting not only in lindesired losses of the metals themselves but also, in some instances, production of fumes deleterious to the operator. The losses and other undesirable incidents referred to are to be expected particularly when the said alloy is produced, as is otherwise desirable, in an electric furnace of the type known as an open furnace,.but may also be expected undesirably during the formation of the alloy in any other electrical or other apparatus in which sliflicient or equivalent requisite temperature may be developed. 'It will be understood that in the formation of said alloy the titanium is usually supplied to the charge in the form of its oxid, and that the chemical combinations resulting in .the volatilizations, losses, etc., above re.- ferred to are usually between 'constituents of the forming alloy and of the atmosphere, and therefore require, for the prevention of such combinations, interposition between said alloy and atmosphere of a coating of molten material normally impervious by the atmosphere.

My present invention may be racticed as, follows: Into one of the now we 1 known forms of so-called electric furnaces, such for example as illustrated and described in Letters Patent No. 802,941, granted to me Octo- February 4, 1911. serial in.

tlty of-zinc intended to be alloyed wit the titanium. Such zinc has been reviously elted, or is melted, in the said urnace, so as to produce a bathof molten zinc. It is obvious that the said bath ,might be produced by reducing directly in the said furnace an oxid of zinc.

After the lime has melted, or while it is melting, there is next su erimposed thereon a'charge of a mixture 0 titanium oxid and carbon, preferably comminuted or agglomerated in briquets, the carbon of the said last mentioned mixture being so proportioned as to be in suflicient quantity to reduce both the said titanium oxid and the lime, As equivalent for, and in lieu of,

roax, 1w. 2., A conroaarron or Onto the surface of said bath is then charged a chemical comber 24, 1905, I charge a predetermined uantitanium oxid, or of oxid of calcium, a t-itanate of lime; (CaO,TiO,) might, to such extent as desired, be employed, the titanium content of which may be such as to impart to the resulting alloy the desired content of titanium. In such cases the said titanate comprising titanium 1n a chemical combinain a chemical combination reducible by car- 'bon, is similarly mixed with carbon, the proportion of the latter bein sufficient to insure reduction of the lime, i any, present, also formation-of calcium carbid, and also liberation of metallic titanium, or, in certain cases, it may be found desirable to substitute completely, for both the said lime and the said titanium'oxid, said titanate of lime, from which may be derived the required amount of titan1um, a nd also the required amount of lime for combination with the carbon. The temperature of the charge being raised sufficiently to insure reduction of the titanium compound under the conditions mentioned, there is formed alike in all the cases mentioned, and Jay the resulting reactions metallic titanium, which, passing through the lime, dissolves in the bath of .molten zinc below to produce the desired alloy of titanium and zinc, and thereis also tion reducible by carbon, and also calcium- 40 used for the covering, decomposition of any ing of calcium carbid, which, possessing r p osed and maintained above urin its formation a coagfbrmed su rim the said all dy The resulting alloy may be tapped, in any approved manner, into any desired receptac1e,'the supernatentmolten carbid of calciumrunning out simultaneously therewith and forming on the alloy, while the latter is cooling, a protective coating.

When, as above noted, a mlxture of car-- bon and of a titanate of lime is employed, the final reactions will besimilar and the results the same as whenlime' and titanium oxid are employed, iagfias per the formula CaO,Ti0 5C=CaC +3CO+IL I regard it as advisable in some cases to add carbon in excess of the quantity strictly required by the said formulae, said surplus of carbon being not only to guard against possible contmgencies, but also in order to insure, in cases in which lime is accidentally formed titanate of lime, which compound, however, would nevertheless,

even were it to remain intact until the Tend of the operation, be evacuated with the carbid of calcium, with no greater detriment to the success of the operation, or to the ualities of the resulting alloy, than ,a pos- -s1bly small, though undesired, loss of titanic acid. It is obvious that the amount of said excess of carbon will be'readily determined according to the requirements of each case by thoseskilled in the metallurgical art. It will also be appreciated that in the .production of said alloy of titanium and zinc a concentrate of titanium oxid and oxid of zinc may be employed instead of titanium oxid pure and simpleand with equivalent results, a proper amount of carbon being,

in such'cases, however, added, suificient to reduce also the oxid of zinc and the resulting zinc passing into the original bath of molten metal together with the titanium. v

The foregoing formulae should enable those skilled in the metallurgical art to calculate the proportions of carbon required to securethe reduction of the compound of lime and of the titanium oxid or other titaployed to furnish to the metallic bath the re- 7 quired percentage of titanium.

What I claim as.new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is the following, viz

1. The method of producing an alloy comprising titanium and zinc'which comprises producing over a bath containing molten zinc a covering comprising carbon, ztitanium in chemical combination reducible by carbon, and calcium in chemical combination reducible by carbon, and imparting to the whole a temperature sufficient to insure liberation of metallic titanium by carbon reduction. x

2. The method of producing analloy comprising titanium and zinc w ich comprises superimposing over a bath containing molof titanium, and a compound of calcium and imparting to the whole a temperature suflicient to insure reduction of said oxid of titaniumunder the conditions specified.

3. The method of producing an alloy vor compound of titanium with zinc which comprises superimposing over a' bathof moltent zinc a covering of molten oxid of calcium, superimposing above said oxid of calcium oxld of titanium and carbon and imparting to the whole a temperature sulficient. to insure reduction of said oxids under the conditions specified.

4-. The method of producing an alloy or compound of titanium with 'zinc which comprises superimposing over a bath containing compound of titanium reducible by carbon, and oxid of calcium, and imparting to the whole a temperaturesuflicientto insure liberation of metallic titanium by carbon reduction.

z AUGUSTE J. ROSS? Witnesses: v

WALTER 'D. EnMoNDs,

PHILIP C, 'PEOK.

ten zinc a covering comprising carbon, oxid moltenzinc a covering comprising carbon, a 

